Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, McAdoo attended Norfolk Christian High School. As a junior in 2009–10, he averaged 22.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. As a senior in 2010–11, McAdoo averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He led Norfolk Christian to consecutive state championships and earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Virginia in 2010 and 2011. During his career, McAdoo earned USA Today first team and Parade All-American third team honors, as well as earning co-Most Valuable Player honors at both the McDonald's All-America Game (17 points) in Chicago and the Jordan Brand Classic (26 points, 14 rebounds) in Charlotte.[1]
In September 2009, McAdoo committed to the University of North Carolina.[2] After Travis and David Wear transferred from UNC, McAdoo considered graduating a year early so he could join the Tar Heels in 2010, but McAdoo ultimately decided to stay at Norfolk Christian through his senior year.[3]
McAdoo was rated as the #4 player in the class of 2011 by Scout.com,[4] the #6 player in the ESPNU 100,[5] and the #8 player by Rivals.com.[6]
College career
McAdoo played three seasons at the University of North Carolina, recording career averages of 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.2 steals in 25.0 minutes over 108 games. As a junior in 2013–14, he earned All-ACC second team honors for the second straight year after averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 34 games.[1]
On April 3, 2014, McAdoo declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.[7]
On January 19, 2015, McAdoo signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors.[12] He made his NBA debut later that night as he came off the bench to record 11 points and 5 rebounds in the 122–79 win over the Denver Nuggets.[13] He was not retained by Golden State following the expiration of his contract on January 29,[14] and he returned to Santa Cruz the following day.[15] On February 2, he returned to Golden State, signing a second 10-day contract with the team.[16] Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, he returned to Santa Cruz where he played two games before being called up again by Golden State on February 19, signing with the team for the rest of the 2014–15 season.[17] He was assigned multiple times to Santa Cruz to finish the season,[18] as he earned NBA D-League All-Rookie first team and All-NBA D-League second team honors.[19] He went on to win a D-League championship with Santa Cruz[20] and an NBA championship with Golden State; McAdoo appeared in just over a minute of action for the Warriors during the 2015 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[21]
McAdoo retained his spot on Golden State's roster for the 2015–16 season, but missed all of January and February because of a sprained toe on his left foot.[22] On March 21, 2016, McAdoo made his first NBA start, recording seven points and six rebounds in 17½ minutes of action in a 109–104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[23] The Warriors returned to the NBA Finals in 2016, where they were defeated in seven games by the Cavaliers.
On July 13, 2016, McAdoo re-signed with the Warriors.[24] The Warriors won 67 games in the 2016–17 season and made their way through to their third straight NBA Finals. There, the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to claim their second championship in three years. The Warriors finished the playoffs with a 16–1 record, the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history.[25]
On January 25, 2018, McAdoo was reacquired by the Delaware 87ers. The following day, he was traded to the Agua Caliente Clippers in exchange for a 2018 first-round draft pick and the returning player rights to Corey Hawkins.[28]
McAdoo is an Evangelical Christian. He has spoken about his faith saying, "I just want people to realize I don’t play basketball for myself. No matter what adversities I face, how bad a season goes, or even how good a season goes, at the end of the day I’m playing for a bigger reason, and that’s to glorify my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."[34]
McAdoo's parents, Ronnie and Janet, both played basketball at Old Dominion in the late 1970s and the early 80s, and went on to play professionally in Europe, while his older sister Kelsey also played basketball at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.[35]
Ronnie McAdoo is the second cousin of Hall of Fame basketball player Bob McAdoo, who played at North Carolina and in the NBA.[3] McAdoo said he calls Bob "uncle" although he does not know what their exact relationship is, and that "My dad's great-great-great grandfather and [Bob's] great-grandfather are like brothers."[35]
On April 2, 2014, McAdoo married Lauren Elizabeth Adkins, a UNC volleyball player.[36]